Magus_Prime

I wouldn't say I feel hostility towards anyone per se despite the tone of my previous post. And like I said if you don't like 3D, I can understand that. But ever since 3D became the trend a few years ago folks on these boards have cursed it to no end. I, for one, don't understand the fuss. In most cases where 3D is available so is a 2D version, yet these same people still hate that the rest of the general public opt to see things in 3D. It's like staying in because you hate the cold but it's not enough because still you feel the need to curse the folks who have elected to play in the snow.

If the people I met at the last hero summit are any indication of what the people are like in this forum, then I'd just like to say as a community we whine about a lot (and I mean A LOT) of QoL issues. "I don't like 3D because it's gimmicky" or "it makes my head hurt" or "I'm an autumn and the glasses are clearly Tropic chic." I absolutely identify with other nerds. I have no compunctions admitting I am one but with that being said if I were to complain this much about such banal minutiae around my friends, they'd cave my chest in and it would be for my own good. If you don't like it, that's all well and good and to say so is also fine. But to say it's stupid because you can't enjoy it like the rest of the populace can is petty.

I'm reminded of Louis C.K.'s bit about folks who moan because their flight was delayed or they had to taxi for prolonged periods.

"I had to sit on the runway for 40 minutes.' Oh my god, really? What happened then, did you fly through the air like a bird, incredibly? Did you soar into the clouds, impossibly? Did you partake in the miracle of human flight and then land softly on giant tires that you couldn't even conceive how they ******* put air in them?...You're sitting in a chair in the sky. You're like a Greek myth right now."

LOL seriously, I want to say sardonically, "Really? The glasses are clumsy? Even though they give those photographic images depth and literally add a new dimension to story telling? Take a step back and gain a little prespective!"

"It's not like she's going anywhere."

Ugh. Foreshadowing.

Hee hee. As did I even though it did so terribly at the box office and the general consensus was a resounding thumbs down. I could also see the myriad reasons why a lot of folks didn't like it. I think for the true blue comic book fans it was too much too fast. Hal shouldn't have gone up against and defeated Parallax in one go. Arguably the greatest threat the corps ever had to face. For the general public the costume was bothersome. Too busy and not very heroic. And finally something that nagged at me in the back of my mind was Ryan Reynolds, as much as I enjoy his work, just wasn't the right fit. He brought his trademark modern sarcasm to a classic icon which most of us when we think of Hal we think silver age tough guy. Reynolds' schtick works in a lot of roles but it clashed in this particular case. I think someone was hoping for the same magic that Downey Jr. brought to Tony Stark. Despite all these reasons I was able to put them aside and thoroughly enjoy the film. I hope they make another because I want to see the inevitable Sinestro/ Hal battle. The tease they gave us in the film was all I needed to whet my appetite. A full-on, fast-paced GL battle, if done right, can be just as adrenaline pumping and memorable as a light saber duel, IMHO.

Certainly puts things into perspective.

That just kicked my excitement into gear. Thanks for posting!

Won't go into too much detail being mindful of the Teen rating as well as giving away spoilers. Great Season opener. I of course, miss Andy Whitfield but Liam Mcintyre does a great job carrying the lead and even though he brings his own flair to the character, he still maintains the momentum of the story in a very consistent way. Every bit as gripping as the previous seasons, I think everyone who's a fan will thoroughly enjoy.

I think I was consistently more satisfied with Davies run but Moffat's turn at the wheel has yielded some truly exceptional episodes i.e. The Doctor's Wife and The Lodger so I'm currently happy.

This episode of Sherlock dragged on for me. Gatiss has a tendency to make his stories overly elaborate (if you've ever seen Jekyll, you might know what I mean.) The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of my favorite stories but this one had sort of a weak reveal. On the other hand, it was interesting to see Sherlock unhinged and doubt-stricken. Still enjoying the series as a whole so I'll be here next week.

My favorite:

"Begun, these colon Wars has.."

Yes on turning off evolution as we know it. We've evolved into a species that can adapt so, in effect, we evolve on a case by case basis. All but gone are the days when we grow an appendage or acquire a mechanism to gain an upper hand on the world around us.

Looking at the human race as a whole I would have to disagree. Joe Rogan has a really good point in one of his stand-up routines. If the smartest people were to disappear i.e. engineers, mathematicians, physicists, etc., which I'm sure we can agree only account for a small fraction of the population, what would happen to the rest of us? In other words, who knows how stuff works? Most of us don't. Honestly, I don't know how to put together a toaster from scratch. I have no idea how a heating element works. I know electricity goes to it and that's about it. In fact, all I really know is I can make money and buy a toaster that someone somewhere put together for me. So sure, every generation exceeds the accomplishments of the one preceding it but realistically we're only talking about a handful of folks who are really capable of doing these things.

Ich fur ein willkomme unser neue uber.... <BZZZT> Click .... Exterminieren! EXTERMINIEREN!

*Obligatory Spoiler Warning* (Brought to you by River Song)



At some point in the middle I was thinking this special was way too scattered and I'm not caring about the characters but I was definitely moved when Madge was forced to think of her husband at the moment of his death. The show felt a little rushed but it came together cohesively and in a satisfactory way in the end. I want the forest king and queen costumes for my house!

I was hoping for a solid thread where we just rag on movies we didn't like and explain why we rag on them but it looks like it got derailed by the original poster on the original post LOL! C&H/VC isn't the first place I go when I want to read someone's social commentary/ rant. As a matter of fact, C&H/VC is where I go when I want to get away from all that. It's almost like the post was disguised in a way so it looks like it's about lame movies but it really serves as a vehicle for the OP to politicize things. Way to go, Trojan Thread!

Anyhoo, in keeping with what I thought the spirit of the discussion was, I do find there are more and more movies out there that don't pass muster but I think it's mainly because every good movie raises the bar. Also, there are different styles of storytelling that I may not be accustomed to. I thought Tron Legacy was going to be this amazing updated version of the original and would cater to today's audiences' tastes but it turned out to be this long and drawn out special effects display. Funny enough, that's exactly how I felt about the first film. It got me to thinking that maybe these stories were written for an audience comfortable with that kind of pacing and if that's who they were targeting then my hat's off to them for their consistency. In other words, I may not have liked it but maybe both films were written with a different audience in mind.

To the OP, I'm sorry it feels like the real estate is shrinking on good movies but I hope something comes along that gets you enthusiastic about them again. Also, I'd like to say I appreciate your service to our country. God bless you and Happy Holidays.

My biggest gripe with Nolan's movies (amongst a myriad of other gripes) is that I never walk away satisfied with how he ends them. I always find myself asking the same burning question, "What the heck was all that about?" Memento and The Prestige being the two I've seen outside of the Batman films. The first movie just never seemed to go anywhere and was built around the gimmick of a guy who had to write everything down. Very cool concept but it just never built up a full head of steam. The second movie couldn't decide what it was. Two magicians trying to one up each other till it becomes personal, but wait it's actually 3 magicians because the third one is a poorly disguised twin, but wait because in the end the other magician is using actual magic or some sort of pseudo-science. It was like a fractal story that just kept branching off and there was no real linear direction. These and the Batman films are the reason why I refuse to see Inception.

All in all, Nolan tries to be innovative by blazing trails and exploring the unconventional. While the approach is to be applauded I find the execution to be premature and underdeveloped. From what I've seen of the preview, I'm pretty sure that I'll be skipping out on this one as well. In any event, I do hope it's enjoyable for everyone else and that because of its success more DC comic book movies get greenlit. Who knows. Maybe someone'll one day make a Batman movie I'd like to see.

P.S. While Inception was out in theaters, my neighbor had just gotten back from seeing it and recommended that I go check it out. I told him about my issue with Nolan's inability to properly conclude his movies and he said, "Yeah, you won't like this one either then." LOL.